


how to host a murder

by orphan_account



Category: Krashlyn - Fandom, USWNT - Fandom
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-09
Updated: 2016-06-22
Packaged: 2018-07-14 02:08:52
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 7,588
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7147985
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>accidentally orphaned the other version of this......</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. the midnight train

The tension could be cut with a knife. Somehow, there was a draft in the air, causing the deep mahogany feathers to flutter around her eyes. The room was filled with an eerie silence, the smell of a rich turkey breast, cranberry jam and mashed potatoes seemed to somewhat fill void. 

Out the window, the millions of stars and the milky moon took refuge in the indigo sky, as the rolling hills, bare of trees, appeared to be an intense shade of ebony. To anyone else, it would seem to be a beautiful night, with a chilling, yet refreshing temperature. But then again, to anyone else it would be considered very, very late at night, or perhaps very, very early morning.

The train seemed to sway on the track, as it barreled down the German countryside, causing the fragile glass pendants of the chandelier to chime against each other. 

Maybe she blinked, or maybe the dim lights did actually flicker, but she knew for sure that the candles seemed to be threatening to go out - or maybe that was the way they were intended to be. They were bright, an eye catching surprise, in comparison to the poorly lit chandeliers hanging from the ceiling.

She has always loved Germany, although native to the States. Something about the harsh language, salty food and robust people has always intrigued her.

But surrounded by the figures around her, at a massive table that could probably seat 30, she felt nothing more than anxious - with perhaps even a touch of fear. She re-examined herself in her reflection in the glass window beside her, all of her brown curls pushed to one side. The deep red hues mixed with the black sequins and feathers on her mask made her cinnamon eyes pop. She smoothed out the satin layers of her floor-length sweetheart ball gown and adjusted her posture, crossing her legs at the ankles under the table and sitting up perfectly straight. 

Her overall appearance was slightly morbid, yet incredibly elegant. And although she did not notice, there was indeed a pair of eyes trained on her.

She took in a shaky breath, hyper aware of the situation she was in. With one last glance at the quintessential meal before her, she turned towards the other head of the table, seeing past the other diners, from her place of luxury at one of the ends. Most diners are not granted the privilege of this seat. It is primarily reserved for when special guests are invited, for example when the duchess of Cambridge was here.

But it indeed was a very special occasion. Special to her anyways.

Clink. Silverware on glass. She shivered with anticipation at the sound, waiting for the magic words. And even though the food looked meticulous, she was not 100% sure eating was something she wanted to do. Although this was considered a 'dinner party', everyone seated knew that the dinner was not the main event of the evening. It was an unspoken reality.

“Bon appetit.”


	2. the beginning

The train itself looked normal, on the outside, if nothing else. It had arrived to the platform at promptly 8:00 earlier that evening, it’s silver and charcoal coloured interior shined to the nines. The conductor himself had stepped out, removing his hat in a bow, welcoming the small crowd on board.

Although this crowd is very, very familiar with each other, tonight they are strangers. Strangers who have no idea what the evening will hold for them.

\---

Needless to say, the food was delicious. She was informed well in advance that it is never any less that perfection, from everyone she knew who has been to a dinner on this train.

Then again, she did not know a whole lot of people who had been on the train.

This whole extravagance had started off with a letter. It was the size of a regular sheet of paper, and it came in a golden envelope with her name imprinted on it. It had arrived approximately 3 weeks ago, while she was home with her girlfriend. Her girlfriend had received an identical one.

Except she and her girlfriend did not know that they both got letters. They also did not know that the rest of their friends got letters. There was only one person who knew everything about everyone and about this whole evening.

In that letter, there were a couple things. Although confusing at first, it would come together at the end. A rule book. An excuse to leave. A plane ticket. A hotel room booking confirmation. A train ticket. A new identity. A clue.

And at first, she did not know what to make of it. It seemed as if it were a game, or a joke. And at first she did not want to attend this festivity on the midnight train.

But every week, promptly on the Tuesday, she got another letter, in another gold envelope. With another clue, another hint and another angle on her identity. Some letters included how her identity was supposed to dress, some included details on her new background or her family heritage. The letters also described to her, in detail, what her role to play was.

And after three weeks of one-sided communication, with a person who was to be called ‘Geheim’, she felt oddly confident about the whole scenario. She was about to put her part of the midnight train dinner in motion.

Starting with her excuse.

\---  
(one week ago)

“Ashlynnnnn,” Ali whined up the stairs to her girlfriend.

“What, my dear lady,” Ashlyn appeared at the top of the staircase, wriggling her eyebrows, before bounding down two at a time.

“First of all, sweetheart,” she really emphasized the ‘sweet’ part, “how many damn times do I have to tell you not to jump down the stairs like that?”

Ashlyn just laughed.

“And secondly… I have accepted a request from one of my German friends.”

“Okay…” Ashlyn motioned for her to continue, to drop whatever bomb this was.

“I am going to go back to Germany for a couple days. Four to be exact. I’ll call you every day I promise, I just-”

“Als, that’s great! I was actually going to tell you tonight that my brother wanted me to come down and hang out for some sibling time, while we don’t have national team duties.”

Little did Ashlyn know, that Ali was actually going to Germany for a totally different reason. And little did Ali know, Ashlyn had just straight up lied to her about going to Florida.

Ashlyn, on a regular day, would never, ever, be caught dead lying to her princess. But letters that came in fancy golden envelopes? With plane tickets inside? Ash at least wanted to see where this whole shenanigan was going.

And if you knew Ashlyn Harris, you knew she was never one to back down from anything. Even if it meant travelling across the world, on a fairly short notice.

\---

(one day ago)

“I am going to miss you so so so so so much,” Ali mumbled through her girlfriend’s chokehold on her.

Today was the day. The day that Geheim had wanted them to board the plane, non-stop to Munich.

“Right back at you, sweetheart” Ashlyn sighed. Even though she was going on an adventure that would hold insane amounts of fun, she always missed Ali. Even when she was just going to pick up groceries or get her hair cut.

There had been a moment of realisation for Ash about two or three days ago, depending. Ali was going to Germany. She was going to Germany, but supposed to be going to Florida. They were both flying into Munich, both leaving on Tuesday, after dinner.

What if Ali was on her flight? There was no possible getting out of that one, and she would undoubtedly have to cancel with Geheim and stay in Washington, alone. At least if she went to Germany, she would have plenty of things to distract herself with. Here in Washington… well the simplest way to put it is that there is absolutely nothing to do in Washington. Hang out with Diana Matheson? She goes back to Canada in the offseason. And basically everyone else too.

An excited ‘hey’ brought Ash back from her thoughts.

“What in the crazy, stupid world are you guys doing here?” Her favourite Spirit player besides Ali and DMath asked.

Crystal was basically jumping on the spot, her massive smile was so blindingly white, Ashlyn almost went blind.

“Well, missy here,” Ali nudged Ash, “is going to ‘chill out’ with Chris,” Ali put air quotes around the chill out part and smirked upto Ashlyn.

“I’m going to Munich for a bit to work with some of my friends,” she smiled over to Crystal.

What Ali didn’t notice was how Crystal’s beautiful skin seemed to get a greenish tint to it, or how her eyes showed fear for a split second. Ashlyn noticed it, but was indeed to excited to actually process what it meant. Even if the keeper did think about it, she probably would not have pieced it all together anyways.

“What brings you to this marvelous place?” Ali feigned a British accent, which made Ashlyn crack up.

“Well, I have been spending a lot of time in the soccer world… as y’all know, obviously,” Crystal giggled, not at what she was saying, but at the hilarity of the situation. Her laughter died down quickly, as it came to her what might happen. “So, I decided to go shopping in New York City for a week! Have some alone girl time, get my thoughts back in order, you know,” she squealed happily to try to add some convincing factor into her speech.

“You should totally get your nails done!”   
“Oh I will!” Crystal paused, gulping. How Ali answered this, basically would decide how the next couple of days would go for her, and if she would be able to continue on her real journey. In hindsight, it would have probably been better to tell Ali she was going to Germany to explore for a couple days, but who only stays in Europe for four days anyways? “So Ali, Ash, what gates are you guys in?”

Ash quickly spoke up, something in her voice uneasy, “I am in C4, Ali is in D8”.

Crystal silently thanked the high heavens. “Nice! Well I am in C12!”

What Crystal failed to notice was that domestic travellers only go to gates A or B. And if Ashlyn was simply going to visit her brother in Florida, why was she in an international gate?

But it didn’t matter. Because Ali and Crystal didn’t notice.

And so the three were off. Little did they know, their journey would turn into something like a braid, metaphorically speaking. Starting apart and ending together.

They obviously just didn't know that yet.


	3. the specific shade

“Mmm,” she quietly mumbled. No mashed potatoes had ever tasted that good. Early she had tried to inquire about the spices included in the meal, but the waiter had politely just smiled before offering her a refill and continuing on towards the other guests.

She had to guess it was around 11 now, but given there were no clocks, she would never know. There had been a fair amount of warnings prior to her arrival, that this was an event not run in a timely fashion, but she had never taken it all too seriously.

The train seemed to veer right harshly, and she had to do everything in her power to not fall off balance. The candles continued to flicker, but by now she was convinced that it was on purpose. There were many of the aspects of the train and the system inside of it that intrigued her, from the waiters who did not answer questions, just asked, to the chandelier, which now seemed to just be hanging from nothing.

Maybe it was the third glass of Prosecco clouding her judgement or maybe this train certainly was something different. Nevertheless, it did seem quite enchanting.

\---

(four days ago) She twirled around again, this time to the left, admiring the colour.

Normally Ali wouldn’t shop at ‘Lime’, a fancy dress shop in Georgetown. The World Cup winnings were certainly a pleasant bonus, but her paycheck was not quite fat enough to splurge on something from the expensive little boutique.

“Miss, the colour looks simply impeccable on you,” the gentleman who had been helping her smiled in the reflection of the mirror, “although it was helped tremendously if you did as little as give me a hint, as to what this is for.”

Ali just gave him a nose-crinkling grin, but giving the dress one last twirl.

“Stephen, you have done a marvelous job with,” she paused, rolling the word possibilities around on her tongue, “the limited details I have provided you with.”

“So, is this the one?”

“I do believe it is.”

Truthfully, Ali did not believe it was. She knew it was. Ali was not certain of a lot about this adventure to Germany, but she had the utmost faith in her shopping expertise.

And as Ali left the store, Stephen thanked whoever it was that had just recently brought the dress in. Unlike many others, this one was dropped off anonymously - most were dropped off here in attempts to launch a brand.

But he was certainly gracious, for he would never had had a dress of that shade of red.

 

\---

“Ash, I’m home!” Her girlfriend playfully bounded around the corner, decked out in a full UNC jumpsuit. Given it was a Saturday, her team had a game against Stanford and thankfully it was one she could finally see. Normally the games interfered with national team commitments or Spirit training, so Ashlyn was particularly happy to be able to watch - and to theoretically compete against her best friend Kelley, who went to Stanford. The two always had bets, and in the past stuff, they had elected it to be the strangest dares. Climbing the flagpole and putting a pair of Alex’s panties on top (that the loser also had to steal) or knocking on Jill and Pia’s doors at 3:30 in the morning, claiming to be ‘room service’. But with Kelley’s latest attraction, or as Ashlyn liked to call it, obsession, with Hope, this bet deemed that the loser had to steal all of Hope’s underwear and bras - one that Ashlyn picked specifically with Kelley in mind - she knew that there was no way UNC would lose this one.

“What did cha buy?” She put on her cutest face, before wrapping Ali up in a hug.

“Just some new heels.”

“It took you an hour and a half to buy a pair of shoes?” Ashlyn moved back a tiny bit in the hug to look down suspiciously at her girlfriend.

Shit. “Uh babe, you know how I am,” she looked down sheepishly and giggled nervously.

“I do, I do. I have been a victim of those,” she shuddered for dramatic effect, “trips many times.”

Ali laughed, leaning up for a delicate kiss on her girl’s soft lips, silently thanking the heavens for the idea to leave her dress in the car. It was probably the most exquisite, extravagant purchase Ali had ever made. It began with sweetheart neckline, so the gown was ‘sans-straps’, showing off Ali’s chiseled collarbones and the tops of her cleavage. Continuing down, it was a deep shade of crimson, tight until the waist before flowing out past the tips of her toes, even with six inch heels on. There was a slit in the dress, on the right side of her dress that ran up to her hip, and covering the gap was black mesh, adorned with black sequins and feathers. Although subtle, the accent certainly tied her outfit together.

Ali had received her masq in the first gold envelope,and she had requested Stephen at the dress store to find a dress involving the same deep red hues. Honestly, it was a miracle he had one, as not even the Shopping Queen had seen this shade before.

\---

(15 hours earlier)

Ashlyn had left Ali and Crystal to find their flights, eagerly trotting towards her gate. Scanning the boards, she nearly clotheslined an elderly couple trying to get there as quick as her legs would allow her. After briefly apologizing, she made it to the gate, only to find no one there.

“Ugh- oh.”

She picked up a flimsy, hand-written note off the counter.

A. Harris-

I am thoroughly joyful that you have made it this far with the journey. I do hope you have tenderly followed the rules and gotten together all the last minute requirements that I myself were not able to fetch.

I must reiterate to you how happy I am that you are coming to Germany. I promise to you that you certainly will not regret this decision.

Please, let yourself onto the plane and chose a seat yourself. Have an amazing flight and do not think twice about asking for anything you may need.

Yours truly,

Geheim.

And with that, she began her adventure.


	4. the flight

As the night went on, her laughs became more genuine. Maybe it was the endearing effect of the liquid courage or maybe it was her level of comfortableness with the situation, but every hour seemed to get more and more intriguing.

 

It had to be hours past midnight, and she was convinced that the sun would be making its first appearance soon enough. Nevertheless, the train kept moving, chugging across the sloping valleys and hills of the German plains. On second thought, it may not even be Germany anymore, based on the fact that the train had never even come to a slower pace.

 

The waiters seemed robotic, but yet joyful. All male, with square-cut jaws, slick black hair and eyes the same colour of a beautiful sky, it was clear they loved their job. Whatever their job actually was, because she was fairly certain it wasn’t be waiters until inhumanely hours in the morning on a train.

 

Dessert was finally served, a tower of chocolate fondue, cascading down the tiers like hot lava. From strawberries and pineapple, to cheese and grapes, there was every delicacy that she could think up of surrounding the pools of hot syrup.

 

And as the night became longer, the secrets began to spill - the other diners were beginning to crack and share their stories. Who they were, what they were occupied with or where home was.

 

But no one was sharing their real lives, obviously. Everyone was just rattling off well thought up identities from Geheim himself.

 

\---

 

(three days ago)

 

It was almost time to leave on her adventure and Ali was more than overjoyed. Except for the fact that she would have to leave her favourite stud.

 

“Babe,” she whined to her keeper.

 

“Hmm?” Ash poked her head into their bedroom which the two shared. Ali was curled up in their plush, white duvet, brown curls tousled across the pillow.

 

"C'you c'mere for a minute and snuggle," her sleepy morning voice begged.

 

Ashlyn internally 'awwhed' at how adorable her tiny little girlfriend was.

 

"Of course Alibean."

 

Ash crawled under the covers, wrapping Ali up tightly, letting her hands roam the small of her back. After a while of innocent playing, she finally let her hands go down the extra couple of inches to roam her girlfriend's ass, eliciting a quiet sigh from Ali.

 

And if Ashlyn had not been paying her utmost attention, she definitely would not have noticed. But she did, so she carried on, kissing the top of her princess' head for good measure.

 

Ali slowly began to break from her sleep induced state, her hands aimlessly wandering her girl's entire chest over her skimpy Nike bra.

 

Ali had gotten enough of her harmless teasing, sneaking effortlessly under Ashlyn so that she could feel the erect nipples eagerly waiting under Ashlyn's bra with her own chest.

 

Ashlyn slowly nsaked an arm down between them, tracing light patterns over Ali’s panties. Thankfully for her, Ali doesn’t really believe in wearing pants to be - this tradition has come in handy for both girl’s on numerous occasions.

 

“Oh babe, I want to feel you,” the brunette got out between gasps.

 

Ashlyn just smirked, kissing her deeply, before pushing her panties out of the way and getting started with two fingers, earning a raspy moan from her sleepy girlfriend.

 

\---

 

(12 hours earlier)

 

The flight so far had been relatively easy going. Some turbulence over the coastline had drawn a natural reaction from Ashlyn to grab onto Ali, but with her absence, Ashlyn just took the time to panic. When they got farther out over the ocean though, the transatlantic flight started to even out, becoming less and less terrifying.

 

There were not many people on board with her, a pilot and first officer, a flight attendant who doubled as a passenger and two girls who seemed to be sisters. The girls kept giggling, sneaking frequent glances up to Ashlyn, then back down to whatever they were looking at on their laptops.

 

And right now more than anything, Ashlyn wished that Ali we're here to translate whatever those girls were mumbling into english.

 

\---

 

As soon as the plane landed, Ashlyn was eager to be the first one to sprint off the plane. The specifics of directions included in the last letter, deemed that there would be someone waiting for her in the ‘Intl. Arrivals’ area, so she made a run for it.

 

Sure enough, a robotic looking German man was present, holding up a sign for ‘A. Harris’. Although he smiled at eye contact, there was something chilling about his sharp jaw and icey eyes.

 

Suddenly, Ashlyn felt a deep urge to go find Ali, to hold her and to protect her from him. But that would be silly, for Ali isn’t even here.

 

Or so she thought.

 

\---

 

Ali’s flight was a very smooth one. To play along with the ‘photoshoot’ she was going to, Geheim had put her on a gorgeous Lufthansa flight, in first class.

 

So she splurged, downing a couple glasses of white wine and catching up on some lost episodes of her and Ashlyn’s favorite shows.

 

And when the plane finally came to a full stop and the captain turned the seatbelt signal off, Ali was kindly escorted into the back of a limo. Geheim certainly didn’t play any games about losing the integrity of the identities he had put together.

 

The ride to her hotel was brief, and as soon as Ali got into her executive suite, she wanted to pass out onto the plush bed. It had to be near 6 a.m. in AMerica, so the defender really could use a good few Zs. Geheim had told her in one of the letters that on fact, sleeping before might be a good idea, because the train was indeed a ‘nighttime activity’.

 

So off came the skin tight black jeans that she had worn for Ashlyn’s sake, and as she curled up under the duvet, Ali had an odd sensation that although they were thousands of miles apart, she felt as if Ashlyn were right next door.

\---

 

(3 hours earlier)

 

“Ugh,” Ali swung her legs over the side of the bed, stretching her sore arms above her head. Satisfied with the crack of her back and her shoulders, she took a glance out the window of her room. It was probably mid to late afternoon and the Munich, and the city’s core was bustling with activity.

 

Ali giggled, remembering how many days she had spent, just one of the city goers. She yanked off the remnants of clothing, and scampered over to her luxurious shower. If she ever met Geheim, she would have to remember to thank him for the suite, as it certainly would make getting ready, much more easier.

 

Quickly, ALi grabbed her phone and blasted The Weeknd’s new album, then setting it down on the counter and running a steaming shower to get the day’s travel off.

 

Not before sending Ashlyn a quick picture of her naked chest though, and explicitly stating how much she missed her.


	5. the freckles

Dinner was one of the most extravagant feasts she had ever seen. While coffee and tea was being served however, a man stood up at the front (or it may have been the back, everyone was rather far gone). His cheekbones seemed to be sharp enough to cut diamond and his piercing eyes drove holes through the back wall. When some of the guests still had not looked up or acknowledged him, he swiftly grabbed a steak knife and stabbed it into the table.

"It seems," he started, "there has been a slight- mishap in the next car." The glint in his eye was not inviting as he picked up a golden card from the table. "It seems," he repeated, "that one of our guests has perished."

Everyone in the train held their breath, waiting. And the man simply smirked.

\---

(an hour ago)

As dinner went on, the drinks started flowing and the conversations, which at first were tense, had loosened up. Ali decided she was destined for a good time; Geheim hadn't let done her wrongly, so she began with some of the harder alcohol. She definitely didn't love it, but the bourbon reminded her of home (and Ashlyn, who she missed a lot more than she might care to admit).

Out of all the people seated at her table, there was one woman, directly across from her, who seemed to catch her eye. For some peculiar reason, she seemed familiar to Ali, who dismissed this feeling immediately. Sure, she knew a lot of people, between the National Team, Penn State and all of her overseas experiences, but she was on a train, to nowhere in particular.

The one odd thing Ali had remarked, only now, was that no one was actually speaking German. After her four years of German soccer, her language skills had grown to a fluent level. Sometimes, she could call a German friend and the conversation could flip back and forth without her evening thinking of it. She also noticed that Geheim was not even a real name - especially in Germany. Why would you name your kid Secret?

She blamed the alcohol for her endlessly wandering mind.

\---

(present time)

Her eyes darted from the man, to the table. Dead quiet. Her silverware clinked together on the table and the exquisite vase in the centre of the table seemed to tremble. The vase was magnificent, but had gone under appreciated due to her surroundings. Red and white roses poured out the top, a navy ribbon, outlined with gold, tied in a looping bow around the crystal neck of the vase. 

Ali's eyes suddenly looked past the vase she had been admiring, landing on that woman. She had stood up, the black gown not showing any of her skin, for it went straight across her collarbones. Under her silvery black masq, were vibrant green eyes, her face and arms sprinkled with freckles. 

Everyone in the room had risen, so Ali followed the crowd into another cabin. This one was just as, if not more, elegant. Two bars were at either one, a diamond chandelier hung in the middle, although it provided next to no useful light. The windows were draped with golden curtains and a light, wordless song, probably from a piano, played in the background. 

A figure in front of Ali spun around, black fabric twirling around. The woman again, but this time Ali got a full body view. From what she could make out, the woman was very toned, with light brown hair done up in an elaborate top knot. The back of the dress hung all the way down, to the point where the woman's lower back dimples were familiar. Like her arms, her back was full of light brown freckles. 

While Ali was admiring the posture of the woman in front of her, her eyes were drawn to something under her shoulder blade. A scar.

\---

(a year ago)

"My legs are so far gone Kriegs, there are not even words to describe this," Kelley whined as they climbed up the stairs.

"You do know this is only day three, right Kel? We have 11 to go and we haven't even started fitness."

"Why did I decide on this sport? Why couldn't I have just, like kept swimming? Hell, why didn't I take up ping pong or something less ridiculous as this."

Ali laughed, yanking open the door to their floor. The girls were three months out for the World Cup and Jill had definitely it was crunch time. Kelley moped all the way down the hall to their room, only briefly pausing to take a peek into Hope and Ashlyn's room. She sighed when she noticed neither of them were inside and that it was just the concierge. 

"Don't act all nonchalant you goof," Ali playfully punched her arm, "I saw that."

Kelley grumbled, stealing the room key and letting herself in, throwing her US bag onto the ground before literally throwing herself onto the bed.

"SHIT," she screamed, rolling off the bed, hitting the ground with a thud. 

Ali burst out laughing again, Kelley's car keys lying on the bed where she had just landed. Kelley faked sobbed on the ground and peeled off her shirt and sports bra to showcase her new wound, a gauge just below her shoulder blade, the shape of a car key.

"I literally can not win," she stomped out of the room, presumably down to the team medic. Ali just smiled, rooming with Squirrel was always a hoot.

_\---_

(present time)

Everyone in the room gathered around something in the middle. Despite the four inch stilettos with adorned Ali's feet, she couldn't yet see what the centre of attention was, so she snaked between people before she reached the front.

A man, with a masq and a charcoal grey suit, lied on the ground. Clearly, he wasn't dead. You could see the rise and fall of his chest and his hazel eyes stared straight up to the ceiling. A feeling, deep inside Ali began to grow. Strangely, it wasn't fear or anything of the sort. Adrenaline pumped through her veins, as if she had just stepped onto the field.

"Marcus, here," everyone's head turned to stare at the man again, "has passed. And it does not seem like like an accident." The freckled girl beside Ali audibly gasped. When their eyes briefly caught, Ali knew who it was. Ali stretched out her arm to touch her shoulder as the lights flickered.

"Best of luck."

 


	6. the girl

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> but who ever could be the freckled girl??;)

(two weeks ago)

The game had been bad. Actually, bad did not nearly do it justice. The game was atrocious. It was the season opener for Sky Blue and afterwards, Kelley had decided she hadn’t seen a team that disconjointed since high school soccer. So after the game, Christie and her sat down with the head coach to give him a couple pointers on coaching a professional team. In the pre-season, the team showed promise. Any team with Christie Rampone as captain was bound to have some sort of success. Well, that's what Kelley thought anyways. She was wrong.

“Awh Ann,” Kelley said to herself as she walked in the front door. It was a dark night, as the day had been overcast and add that to the fact that it was almost one in the morning, she could barely see a foot in front of her face.

Ann always watched her games, whether the national team games or just regular team games, and she always made sure to text Kelley at the end to let her know she was thinking about her. Usually, Ann was asleep or working (she was a nurse) when the games were done, but her texts always reminded Kelley how much she cared about her. One time, after the worst game of Kelley’s life, she left a dozen of roses on her porch for when she got home. 

But, as she got closer to the flowers and package on the coffee table, she realized the handwriting wasn’t nearly loopy and girly enough to be Ann’s, and she had never mentioned it in her post-game text.

Kelley ripped open the package and a stack of cash and a card fell out. She screamed, probably waking up some neighbours and grabbed her phone. Without hesitation, she dialled the number of the biggest, scariest person she could think of.

  
While it was ringing, she read the card. An address, a phone number and a message.

_Buy yourself a dress._

The call went through.

“Hope?” She whispered, “I think I need help.”

\---

(a week and a half ago)

Kelley played the late night call to Hope off as ‘she thought she saw something in the dark’. The two ladies talked for a bit regardless, because Hope could sense the uneasiness in Kelley's voice. Nevertheless, when Kelley eventually did go to bed that night, she left Hope’s contact open as she slept that night. Just in case.

The next day, she went to morning recovery and sat through the hour speech from her coaching staff. She then decided it was time to grab lunch and... dress shopping? On her way to the car she opened her wallet, making sure the card (and the cash) was still there.

The address on the card led her to a secluded little shop, with few customers and an Italian man attending to the cash.

As she was touring the little shop, with no idea what type of dress she needed, he approached her, asking if there was anything he could do to help her. Kelley, being ever so clumsy, accidentally dropped the card (who she later learned, was from Geheim) on the ground. The Italian man simply giggled and went to retrieve it from the floor.

He looked up at her in shock, then back at the golden card, flipping it over in his fingers.

“Oh… you must be…” he stopped talking and rushed back to his counter with the card and started eagerly flipping through a spiral bound book. “Miss O’Hara!” He smiled widely, his Italian accent heavy.

“I do believe I have the perfect dress in mind! Please, give me just one minute.”

And with that, he disappeared into the dress inventory.

—-

(two days ago)

Ali’s phone buzzed constantly. Literally every single minute the damn thing was vibrating, from Instagram notifications to calls from Kyle. But this time, it was her team.

Some of the rookies had recently discovered the art of the GroupMe app, which allowed everyone to text in a group chat. Not everyone on the team had iPhones and the time they tried to use Facebook, Pinoe whined non-stop because the app didn’t work on her phone.

So now, as she was getting groceries, the notification list on her phone kept getting longer. And longer. 

**mewsy** : idk what to do with myself for an entire weekend off though?? 

**arod** : anyone wanna babysit lol

**HAOReilly** : I’m happy though, I needed a break

**pressC** : Honestly me too cuz i can go tan non stop for days

**TheHeath** : @PressC tanning? im in. :D

**K_OH** : jeez @PressC you think you need a tan? my freckles are the darkest part of my body

**AlexMorgs** : @PressC @TheHeath lets keep it PG babes!! there are young ears in this group chat

**captain-christie** : awh thanks @alexmorgs

**aharris** : I’m going home, moms making me dinner LOL #freefood

**K_OH** : @aharris ali is actually letting you leave her sight for more than 25 minutes??? im impressed.

**Rapinoez** : ^^ seriously tho. ash is usually whipped?? how drunk did u have to get ur girl there hun @aharris? ;)

Ali just smilled. She loved soccer, endlessly, but it was nice to have a little break from her team duties, even if it was just a weekend. At first she was a little concerned about how to tell Ashlyn she was going to go to Germany on their only weekend off, but when Ashlyn had told her that she wanted to go home for the break, it was easy.

**AK11** : @K_OH she pretends i make her stay bc she misses me too much ;)))

\---

(present time)

“Kelley fucking O’Hara” Ali hissed. The freckled girl spun around so fast that the champagne in her glass slooshed out over her hands, making her freckles shimmer under the dim light. “What in God’s name are you doing here?”

The girl just stared at her with her jaw basically on the floor. Ali ripped the glass out of her hand and dragged her teammate towards the empty dining cabin, Kelley tripping on her dress and heels the whole way.

Ali lifted her mask off and snapped Kelley’s off, without loosening the grip on her arm.

“Who are you?” Kelley snorted, ripping her arm away, “and how dare you drag me in here like this. I have a right to be here just as much as-"

The sound of Ali smacking her wrists actually echoed, followed by Kelley’s screach. Right before Kelley started screaming, Ali pushed a thumb against her lips and pointed to her Liebe tattoo. 

The realization seemed to hit Kelley like a brick wall.

“Oh shit, hey Als, what brings you to Germany,” Kelley awkwardly smiled. 

“I asked you first.”

“And I asked you second.”

“Did he invite you here?” Ali voiced dropped to a whisper and Kelley just nodded. “Then who else is here?”

“No idea. I got a letter a couple weeks ago. At first I forgot about it because I left for camp the next day, but then got back and saw it on my counter. Noticed it was the only weeked that the NWSL was off so I decided hey, I want to get away from my annoying girlfriend for a week. So now I’m here. And also like everyone else on the team was either going home or leaving right, so it didn't look suspicious or anything. Wait weren't you supposed to be here for some girly shit or something?”

 

“Oh never mind that, " Ali rolled her eyes, "but it's the same deal here. WAIT, a girlfriend?” 

Kelley just laughed and pulled her phone out of her sparkling, black clutch, showing Ali the lock screen on her phone. It was Ann, sitting crosslegged on someone’s (presumably Kelley’s) bed. Her hair was everywhere and the sheets were tangled, but her happy laughing face was probably the cutest thing Ali had seen.

“Awh squirrely!” Kelley blushed and Ali kissed her cheek, “you two are the cutest. Except make sure you clean those sheets.” Ali winked and Kelley's blush shot up to her ears.

“Want to go back?" Kelley tried to change the subject as Ali was still giggling, "someone has to figure out who ‘killed’ that poor guy and it seems like we are the only two sober enough to do it. We can be a team?”

“Team work makes the dream work girl!”

And back to the ballroom cabin they went.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> side note, GroupMe is a real app ;)


	7. the hair

People milled around the train station, anxiously waiting to board it. The german air was chilled, sending tingles down her spine. Someone blew a whistle, the crowd instantly hushing. 

Everyone seemed to form a single file line, the dark sky, the hazy night and the silence providing an eerie feeling.

Tall black stilettos clicked on the ground. The woman into of her toussled her black hair to one side and tapped the ball of her shoe on the ground. A golden bracelet hung lazily around her right wrist.

“All aboard,” the man said. His face was not visible due to the low brim of his hat, but his voice sliced easily through the air, “the midnight train.

\---

(three and a half weeks ago)

“Like who even sends mail anymore” Tobin laughed. The connection was sketchy and sometimes she froze on the screen, but Tobin loved every minute she spent FaceTiming Christen.

“Oh Tobs, everyone does you silly! It’s so exciting. My parents would send letters and care packages to me every month in Sweden. We should try it!” 

“Chris we don’t live thousands of kilometres away from each other.”

She fake pouted, before giving in to Tobin’s megawatt smile, flipping her hair over one shoulder. “Fine,” she dramatically sighed, “you win.”

“Oh my gosh, did I hear that correctly?” Tobin teased and Christen just laughed.

“Okay you, I have to go now. I was supposed to go 5 minutes ago! I’m going to have to do sprints and it will be your fault Tobin Heath! You owe me big time!”

“Oh, big time? I guess I will have to give you a few favours next camp then, huh?” She teased, making Christen’s face blush an (adorable) shade of pink.

“Tobs stop I need to go,” she whined, “so bye for now, I’ll call you tonight.” Finding new courage, she winked and hung up.

Tobin sighed, falling back onto her bed and sorting through the mail, which mostly consisted of flyers, advertisements, bills and — another letter. She basically just snorted at how this whole situation was panning out. At this point, the one sided conversation with Geheim might as well be carried via carrier pigeon or smoke signal. 

She ripped open the gold envelope, her third of the month, just to find a list.

 

 _Dear Tobin Heath_ , the cover read, _I am very enlightened that you can attend our festival, per se. I must, however, provide you with these few guidelines, in order that our night runs as smoothly as possible._

_You must remain in character._

_You must dress accordingly (see dress code)._

_You may not touch any of the props._

_You must have a good time._

 

Tobin flipped over the card stock paper, finding what was, presumably, the dress code.

 

_Formal attire required._

_Dark colours only (deep red hues, navy, silver and gold also acceptable)._

_Suit includes tie, cuff links and dark shoes._

_Dresses need to be floor length, appropriate style only._

_See you then, and farewell for now,_

_Geheim_

 

“Rich people,” Tobin laughed to herself, “always up to something.” With that she grabbed her bag and hit the road.

\---

(two weeks ago)

Christen tried to pull her hood up with no success, ultimately deciding to just go for it. She jumped over the puddles as the rain poured down, laughing as she tripped on the curb and basically fell into a river. 

She grabbed her mail, which consisted of a small brown box and some fan letters, before escaping the glooming afternoon.

Curiosity over taking her, she opened the package, tears threatening to fall.

_Princesses get what princesses want. Have a great day C._

A bag of unpopped popcorn, an iTunes gift card, an ‘adult colouring book,' pencil crayons and a gold bracelet.

\---

Kelley pushed her shoulders back after she straighten out her masq and put her phone away in her clutch. Ali gave it a two count before following her into the ballroom cabin, the heat hitting her like a wall. All of the bodies scurring around each other, some people writing on their notepads on the walls. 

The flurry of activity quickly consumed Ali and Kelley, who tried their hardest to stay discreet. They both had collected tiny, golden notepads and matching pencils and now Kelley was wandering about the cabin. The violin music in the background seemed to be getting more frantic and for one reason or another, it was getting more difficult to see. And hotter, but Ali just blamed that on the amount of people in the congested area.

Kelley had subtly dragged Ali towards the middle of the room, where Marcus lay. Definitely still breathing, definitely still staring blankly at the ceiling. A stab wound (not a real one, which Ali had to constantly remind herself) was present in the dead centre of his chest. It looked very real and that was very unsettling. 

With every breath he took, more red ooze poured out of him, a puddle forming around him. Kelley anxiously wrote this down, then scampered away to examine his feet and his other hand. Ali noticed something in the man’s hand — he was tightly gripping a chunk of hair. 

She shuddered and audibly groaned, to which Kelley saw, and came over.

“What is it?” She whispered, so quietly, Ali could barely hear her.

“Look in his hand Kel.” She gasped and dropped to her knees, examining it carefully. She motioned for Ali to look, so she crouched down, taking it in. Kelley gave her an uncomfortable glance and shuddered and as Ali tried not to get the toes of her heels wet with ‘blood’.

Ali had to remind herself that it wasn't real, but it seemed as if it were. In the man’s hand was wavy, silky, platinum blond hair. If you caught it in the right light, it would appear to be a shiny grey or silver. Kelley caught Ali’s terrified eyes and winked at her, reassuringly, but Ali was shaken up nevertheless. 

Even though this was essentially a game, the thought terrified Ali.

She tried to get her mind off of it by sneaking into a small crowd of people. They were staring at something stuck in the wall and as she inched closer, she found a steak knife (an expensive one, from the looks of it) in the wall, with ‘blood’ staining the wooden handle and dripping down from it.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> lets brainstorm...... who do we know with silky platinum hair... hmmmm


End file.
